China White-collar Average Salary Dips in the First Quarter of 2018

BEIJING, April 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Zhaopin Limited ("Zhaopin" or the "Company"), a leading career platform in China focused on connecting users with relevant job opportunities through their career lifecycle, released its 2018 first-quarter report on China labor market supply and demand for white-collar workers. Competition among white-collar workers for jobs intensified in the spring, leading their average monthly salary to decline for the first time since the second quarter of 2017, falling to RMB7,629, a 2.1% drop from the previous quarter.

First-quarter of 2018 China white-collar labor market highlights:

The average monthly salary for white-collar workers fell to RMB7,629 in the first quarter of 2018, down 2.1% over the fourth quarter of 2017.

Beijing continued to be the city with the highest pay in the first quarter of 2018, with an average monthly salary of RMB10,197, slightly below RMB10,310 in the fourth quarter 2017.

Competition for jobs among white-collar workers intensified in the first quarter of 2018, with an average of 42.8 applications per job vacancy, compared with 31 applications in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering continued to be the most competitive sector for job seekers in the first quarter of 2018, with 68.2 applications per vacancy.

The most competitive occupation in the first quarter of 2018 was software/internet development/system integration with 104.8 applications per vacancy.

Average salary edging down

Based on online job postings in 37 key cities in China compiled by Zhaopin, the average monthly salary for white-collar workers fell to RMB7,629 in the first quarter of 2018, down 2.1% from the fourth quarter of 2017, and the first decline since the second quarter of 2017. The average salary was forced down by the abundant supply in the labor market, as many white-collar workers were actively seeking new jobs after taking their year-end bonuses.

Average monthly salary for white-collar workers

Quarter

Average salary (RMB)

Change over previous quarter

Q1 2017

7,665

0.8%

Q2 2017

7,376

- 3.8%

Q3 2017

7,599

3.0%

Q4 2017

7,789

2.5%

Q1 2018

7,629

-2.1%

Among job postings in the first quarter of 2018, 32.7% of positions offered monthly salaries between RMB4,000 and 6,000, and 28.2% offered monthly salaries of more than RMB8,000. About 20.9% of positions offered monthly salaries between RMB6,000 and 8,000.

Breakdown of positions by monthly salaries in the first quarter of 2018

Salary (RMB)

Percentage of positions

Over 8,000

28.2 %

6,000 to 8,000

20.9%

4,000 to 6,000

32.7%

2,000 to 4,000

17.4%

Below 2,000

0.8%

Beijing continued to be the city with the highest pay in the first quarter of 2018, with an average monthly salary of RMB10,197, slightly down from RMB10,310 in the fourth quarter 2017. Among all major cities in the country, Shenzhen and Hangzhou were the only two cities where the average salary went up in the first quarter of 2018.

Average monthly salary for cities in the first quarter of 2018

Ranking

City

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Ranking

City

Average monthly salary (RMB)

1

Beijing

10,197

20

Fuzhou

7,005

2

Shanghai

9,621

21

Changsha

6,988

3

Shenzhen

9,134

22

Wuxi

6,879

4

Hangzhou

8,500

23

Jinan

6,860

5

Guangzhou

7,965

24

Hefei

6,849

6

Dongguan

7,723

25

Nanchang

6,768

7

Ningbo

7,680

26

Zhengzhou

6,704

8

Nanjing

7,523

27

Tianjin

6,622

9

Foshan

7,483

28

Qingdao

6,591

10

Suzhou

7,411

29

Lanzhou

6,577

11

Xiamen

7,363

30

Xi'an

6,381

12

Urumqi

7,281

31

Dalian

6,288

13

Haikou

7,205

32

Shijiazhuang

6,274

14

Nanning

7,202

33

Yantai

6,239

15

Chongqing

7,177

34

Changchun

6,114

16

Wuhan

7,082

35

Taiyuan

6,045

17

Chengdu

7,061

36

Shenyang

5,901

18

Kunming

7,053

37

Harbin

5,818

19

Guiyang

7,043

Funds/securities/futures/investment continued to be the best-paying sector in the first quarter of 2018 with an average monthly salary of RMB10,421, followed by RMB9,650 for professional services/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and Human Resources, etc.).

Top 10 highest paid sectors in the first quarter of 2018

Sector

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Funds/securities/futures/investment

10,421

Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.)

9,650

Intermediary service

9,254

Banking

9,120

Cross-industry operation

9,050

Trust/warrant/auction/pawn

8,909

Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering

8,795

Online games

8,740

Energy/mineral/mining/smelting

8,475

Insurance

8,370

The top three occupations with the highest monthly salaries in the first quarter of 2018 were senior management (RMB19,936), IT management/project coordination (RMB14,515) and securities/futures/investment management/service (RMB12,229).

Top 10 highest paid occupations in the first quarter of 2018

Occupation

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Senior management

19,936

IT management/project coordination

14,515

Securities/futures/investment management/service

12,229

Civil servant/public institution/research institute

11,695

Real estate development/broker/agency

11,124

Sales management

11,117

Software/internet development/system integration

10,188

Banking

10,176

Trust/warrant/auction/pawn

9,858

Hardware development

9,720

Public companies offered the highest average monthly salary of RMB8,368 in the first quarter, followed by RMB8,307 for wholly foreign-owned enterprises and RMB8,112 for state-owned enterprises.

Average monthly salaries from different types of companies

in the first quarter of 2018

Type of Company

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Public companies

8,368

Wholly foreign-owned enterprises

8,307

State-owned enterprises

8,112

Joint ventures

8,109

Public institutions

7,524

Private companies

7,377

Larger companies offered higher salaries in the first quarter of 2018. Small and micro-sized companies were not competitive with relatively lower salaries.

Average monthly salaries for companies of different sizes

in the first quarter of 2018

Size of company by employee numbers

Average monthly salary (RMB)

Below 20

6,742

20-99

7,152

100-499

7,509

500-999

7,981

1,000-9,999

8,376

Above 10,000

8,579

Job market competition intensified in the spring

Zhaopin publishes the quarterly competitive index for the labor market in China based on data collected from its online platform. The competitive index is calculated based on the number of resume applications divided by the number of job vacancies. For the first quarter of 2018, the competitive index was 42.8, which means there were an average of 42.8 applications per job vacancy, a sharp jump from 31 in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Spring, especially after the Chinese New Year holiday, is the traditional peak season for job hopping. Many white-collar workers were actively seeking new job opportunities after getting their year-end bonuses, which led to intensified competition in the job market.

Competitive index

Quarter

Competitive index

Q1 2017

44.6

Q2 2017

35.8

Q3 2017

30.4

Q4 2017

31.0

Q1 2018

42.8

(Competitive index = number of applications/number of job vacancies)

Beijing was by far the most competitive city for white-collar workers, with a competitive index of 102.9 in the first quarter of 2018, far more competitive than 86.4 in the fourth quarter last year. Chengdu became the second most competitive city after Beijing for job seekers with a competitive index of 55.1 in the first quarter.

Competitive index for cities in the first quarter of 2018

Ranking

City

Index

Ranking

City

Index

1

Beijing

102.9

20

Lanzhou

29.3

2

Chengdu

55.1

21

Guiyang

27.2

3

Shanghai

54.0

22

Shijiazhuang

27.0

4

Shenyang

53.5

23

Qingdao

26.0

5

Shenzhen

53.5

24

Jinan

24.0

6

Xi'an

47.8

25

Hefei

22.7

7

Tianjin

45.0

26

Haikou

22.2

8

Dalian

39.1

27

Wuxi

22.1

9

Chongqing

38.0

28

Kunming

21.0

10

Harbin

36.7

29

Urumqi

19.8

11

Wuhan

34.4

30

Yantai

19.0

12

Changsha

34.1

31

Nanchang

18.5

13

Guangzhou

32.9

32

Dongguan

16.4

14

Changchun

31.4

33

Fuzhou

15.5

15

Taiyuan

31.0

34

Xiamen

15.1

16

Hangzhou

30.8

35

Nanning

14.2

17

Suzhou

30.7

36

Foshan

14.0

18

Nanjing

29.8

37

Ningbo

13.7

19

Zhengzhou

29.8

Competitive index = number of applications/number of job vacancies

In terms of employer size, companies with 1,000 to 9,999 employees were the most competitive for job seekers, with an index of 60.9, followed by 55.6 for companies over 10,000 employees. The competition for positions in small and micro-sized companies remained low due to low brand recognition and high risk.

Competitive index for different size companies

in the first quarter of 2018

Size of Company by employee numbers

Index

Below 20

27.5

20-99

33.7

100-499

42.1

500-999

48.8

1,000-9,999

60.9

Over 10,000

55.6

Supply and demand by sector

In the first quarter of 2018, the internet/e-commerce sector continued to top the list with the most job vacancies, followed by real estate/construction/building materials/engineering, and education/training/college sectors.

Top ten sectors with the highest job demand in the first quarter of 2018

Ranking

Sector

1

Internet/e-commerce

2

Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering

3

Education/training/college

4

Computer software

5

Funds/securities/futures/investment

6

Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.)

7

IT services (system/data/maintenance)

8

Trade/export and import

9

Medicine/biological engineering

10

FMCG (food, drinks, alcohol and tobacco, and chemicals for daily use)

Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering continued to be the most competitive sector for job seekers in the first quarter of 2018, with 68.2 applications per vacancy. The competition intensified for all top ten sectors in the first quarter of 2018 over the previous quarter.

Top ten most competitive sectors in the first quarter of 2018

Ranking

Sector

Index

Ranking in previous quarter

1

Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering

68.2

1

2

Cross-industry operation

61.1

2

3

Online games

60.0

4

4

Internet/e-commerce

58.5

6

5

Aviation/aerospace research and manufacturing

53.9

9

6

Computer software

53.7

5

7

Telecom/carrier operators/value-added service

51.6

7

8

IT services (system/data/maintenance)

50.5

3

9

Funds/securities/futures/investment

49.9

11

10

Energy/mineral/mining/smelting

48.1

8

Insurance continued to be the least competitive sector in the first quarter of 2018, with 18.7 applications per vacancy, followed by 24.9 for intermediary service and 26.3 for printing/packaging/papermaking.

Least competitive sectors in the first quarter of 2018

Sector

Index

Insurance

18.7

Intermediary service

24.9

Printing/packaging/papermaking

26.3

Outsourcing service

26.5

Inspection/testing/authentication

26.5

Office supplies and equipment

27.6

Home furnishing/interior design/decoration

29.0

Farming/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery

29.7

Processing and manufacturing (raw material processing/mould)

30.0

Entertainment/sports/leisure

31.7

The sectors with the most job applications in the first quarter of 2018 included internet/e-commerce, real estate/construction/building materials/engineering, and computer software.

Top ten sectors with the most job applications in the first quarter of 2018

Ranking

Sector

1

Internet/e-commerce

2

Real estate/construction/building materials/engineering

3

Computer software

4

Funds/securities/futures/investment

5

IT services (system/data/maintenance)

6

Education/training/college

7

Professional service/consulting (finance and accounting, legal and HR, etc.)

8

FMCG (food, drinks, alcohol and tobacco, and chemicals for daily use)

9

Medicine/biological engineering

10

Electronics/semiconductor/integrated circuit

Supply and demand by occupation

The top occupations with the most vacancies for white collar workers in the first quarter of 2018 were almost the same as in the fourth quarter of 2017, including sales, administration/logistics/secretary, and software/internet development/system integration.

Top ten occupations with the highest job demand in the first quarter of 2018

Ranking

Occupation

1

Sales

2

Administration/logistics/secretary

3

Software/internet development/system integration

4

Sales management

5

Education/training

6

Finance/auditing/tax

7

Human resources

8

Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering

9

Customer service/pre-sales and after-sales support

10

Marketing

The most competitive occupation in the first quarter of 2018 was software/internet development/system integration with 104.8 applications per vacancy, followed by 101.9 for IT quality management/testing/configuration management, and 95.5 for transportation services.

Top 10 most competitive occupations in the first quarter of 2018

Ranking

Occupation

Index

Ranking in previous quarter

1

Software/internet development/system integration

104.8

1

2

IT quality management/testing/configuration management

101.9

2

3

Transportation services

95.5

4

4

Finance/auditing/tax

81.5

3

5

Senior management

75.9

5

6

Civil engineering/construction/decoration/municipal engineering

71.2

8

7

Administration/logistics/secretary

61.6

7

8

Human resources

58.5

6

9

Real estate development/broker/agency

54.3

13

10

Purchasing/trade

51.0

12

The least competitive occupations in the first quarter of 2018 were community/residency/housekeeping with 16.8 applications per vacancy, followed by 17.0 for both sales and healthcare/beauty/hairdressing/bodybuilding.

Least competitive occupations in the first quarter of 2018

Occupation

Index

Community/residency/housekeeping

16.8

Sales

17.0

Healthcare/beauty/hairdressing/bodybuilding

17.0

Insurance

17.2

Farming/forestry/animal husbandry/fishery

17.6

Education/training

19.2

Cooking/catering/food R&D

19.6

Intern/trainee/management trainee

20.4

Mechanic/operator

20.5

Hospital/medical care/nursing

21.7

The top ten occupations with the most job applications in the first quarter of 2018 were almost the same as in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Top ten occupations with the most job applications in the first quarter of 2018